The issue of removing Esteghlal and Persepolis from the AFC Champions League by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is a hot topic in Iranian football these days. The Iranian popular teams now wait for AFC's decision on their future. The two popular Iranian clubs are on the verge of being banned from the 2022/23 ACL due to non-compliance of their obligations to the AFC's club licensing rules. -Tehran Times 12/31/21

Iran's soccer association chief has backed former national team captain Mehdi Mahdavikia after he faced criticism from ultraconservatives for wearing a jersey bearing an Israeli flag during a friendly game coached by an Israeli. "He is one of the greats of Iranian football" and "a symbol of pride for the Islamic Republic of Iran," Secretary-General Hassan Kamranifar said in a statement published by the official state news agency IRNA on December 29. -RFE 12/31/21

Iran's women's football team head coach Maryam Irandoost says that they want to book a place at the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup knockout stage. Iran are in Group A along with India, China and Chinese Taipei. -Tehran Times 12/28/21

Rasoul Motamedi made his final clean and jerk attempt at 220kg to edge ahead of South Korea's Jin Yun-seong by 1kg and take the 102kg title. Motamedi, the Asian champion, finished 177-220-397 to Jin's 180-216-396, with a gap of 8kg back to third place. -Inside the Games 12/16/21

Iran celebrated double gold on the second day of the World Para Taekwondo Championships in Istanbul. The men's K44 under-70 kilograms final saw a repeat of the Tokyo 2020 gold-medal contest between Mexico's Juan Garcia and Iran's Mahdi Pourrahnama. Pourrahnama earned a 3-0 victory in the final to be crowned world champion. -Inside the Games 12/13/21

Mirmostafa Javadi claimed a silver medal at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships on Sunday. The Iranian weightlifter lifted 163kg in snatch in the 81kg weight class and 204kg in clean and jerk and claimed the silver with a total of 367kg. -Tehran Times 12/13/21

Iran were crowned men's sitting volleyball champions for a record seventh time after overcoming the RPC. Tokyo 2020 marked the first time since Atlanta 1996 that the gold medal match was not between the Asian team and Bosnia & Herzegovina. -International Paralympic Committee 12/10/21

Former International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) interim president Ursula Papandrea has sent an encouraging message to the Iranian women weightlifters. Four women weightlifters, namely Elnaz Bajelani (76kg), Elham Hosseini (81kg), Yekta Jamali (87kg) and Fatemeh Yousefi (+87kg) will represent Iran at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. -Tehran Times 12/8/21

Iran's Aliakbar Gharibshi marked his World Para Powerlifting Championships debut in style as he broke the world record to win gold in the men's up-to-107 kilograms event in Tbilisi. Gharibshi dethroned defending champion and Paralympic gold medallist Sodnompiljee Enkhbayar of Mongolia with a lift of 245kg. Once his victory was confirmed, he then broke the world record by hoisting 251kg. -Inside the Games 12/6/21

Iran lost to European champions Norway 41-9 in their second match in the 2021 World Women's Handball Championship Sunday night. Iran had started the campaign with a 39-11 loss against Romania in Group C. Iran goalkeeper Fatemeh Khalili Behfar was named Player of the Match due to her outstanding saves. -Tehran Times 12/6/21

Iranian Para powerlifter Amir Jafari Arangeh seized a silver medal at the 2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships on Wednesday. He finished in second place with 193kg. Hocine Bettir of Algeria won the gold medal with 194kg. -Tehran Times 12/2/21

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has met Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) President Shahabaldin Azizi Khadem in Doha, with talks over women's football claimed to be on the agenda. FIFA has faced issues with the FFIRI in recent years, with government interference and Iran's policy of banning women from entering stadiums among key issues. -Inside the Games 12/2/21

Iranian women taekwondo players claimed three medals at the first edition of the World Taekwondo Women's Open Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Zahra Sheidaei won a gold medal in the in the under-57kg final on Friday. She defeated Russia's Margarita Blizniakova in the golden point period. -Tehran Times 11/29/21

Iran international goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand entered the Guinness Book of World Records on Thursday for "the world's longest throw". The 29-year-old goalie set the record during a FIFA World Cup qualifying match against South Korea at the Azadi stadium on Oct. 11, 2016. 11/26/21

The Iran judo federation's appeal against a four-year ban from international events for refusing to let its athletes face opponents from Israel was heard on Tuesday. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said the Iranian appeal against an International Judo Federation ruling was held by video link. A verdict is expected to take at least several weeks. -AP 11/24/21

Iran has put up huge posters across the capital Tehran hailing the goalkeeper of the Iranian women's football team as a 'heroic girl' after the Jordanian FA accused her of being a man. Zohreh Koudaei, 32, saved two penalties in a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Jordan in Uzbekistan on September 25, meaning the Iranian women's team qualified for its first ever Women's Asia Cup. 11/22/21

An Iranian female footballer is receiving widespread support on social media after her gender was questioned by Jordan's Prince Ali bin Hussein. The Jordan Football Association (JFA), which is headed by Hussein, penned a letter to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on 5 November after they lost 4-2 on penalties to the Islamic Republic in a women's Asia Cup qualifier on 25 September. -MEE 11/17/21

Iran stayed well on course for a third successive appearance in the FIFA World Cup following a 3-0 win over Syria in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar on Tuesday. 11/16/21

Jordan's Amman Club defeated Islamic Republic of Iran's Shahrdari Sirjan 2-1 to win the AFC Women's Club Championship 2021 at the Aqaba Development Corporate Stadium, Jordan on Saturday. -AFC 11/15/21

Group A leaders Islamic Republic of Iran will aim to cement their position in the summer when they take on bottom-placed side Syria at King Abdullah II on Matchday Six of the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar on Tuesday. Having been so evenly matched in the 2018 qualifiers, drawing both their games, the two sides have had contrasting fortunes this time around. -AFC 11/15/21

Captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh hailed his teammates' determination as the Islamic Republic of Iran's late comeback saw Dragan Skocic's side hand Lebanon a 2-1 defeat at Saida International Stadium on Thursday to move one step closer to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. -AFC 11/12/21

Afsaneh Chatrenoor is happy with her team's progress after her goal steered Shahrdari Sirjan to a 1-0 win over India's Sree Gokulam Kerala FC in the AFC Women's Club Championship 2021 at the Aqaba Development Corporate Stadium, Jordan on Wednesday. -AFC 11/12/21

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named men's all-time Iran Dream Team. According to IFFHS, late goalkeeper Nasser Hejazi has been included in the Iran Dream Team. Mehdi Mahdavikia and Andranik Eskandarian are right and left backs in the list. 11/9/21

Boris Nikonorov bagged a hat-trick as Russia edged Iran 3-2 in the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup final to make history in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Russia have now won a record four of the 10 Intercontinental Cup events, making them the most successful nation in the competition. -Inside The Games 11/8/21

As Russia and Iran battled for the team title, the 74kg final was the perfect stage to decide it. Chermen VALIEV (RUS) was chasing the gold he was denied in 2019 and Mohmmadsadegh FIROUZPOURBANDPEI (IRI) was looking for his debut world title. And they put on a show. -United World Wrestling 11/8/21

The Iranian Parliament is set to decide soon on whether women should be allowed into soccer stadiums, a move pushed hard in recent years by FIFA, the world governing body for the sport. Women have been banned from attending soccer matches in stadiums for four decades in the conservative Muslim nation. 10/29/21

Currently hosting Iran's national championship, the Enghelab golf course has only 13 holes, not 18 like at major country clubs elsewhere. When the course was built decades ago it had five more holes but over the years the fairways have been eaten away by development. Tehran's tiny contingent of players feel lucky that they still have 13, but are fearful even more of the course may disappear. -AFP 10/22/21

Iranian women's ice hockey team passed Russia in their second match in the UAE tournament. The Iranian national women's ice hockey team won against the powerful Russian team in their second match on Tuesday. 10/20/21

Al Hilal SFC head coach Leonardo Jardim hailed his side's display as they brushed aside Persepolis FC 3-0 to reach the 2021 AFC Champions League semi-finals on Saturday. \A second-half brace from Bafetimbi Gomis added to Salem Al Dawsari's fine strike in the first half to help the 2019 champions set up a clash with domestic rivals Al Nassr on Tuesday with a place in the final at stake. -AFC 10/18/21

Tehran: Alireza Jahanbakhsh's 76th-minute equaliser ensured Islamic Republic of Iran retained top spot of Group A after a 1-1 draw in their AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar clash against Korea Republic on Tuesday. -AFC 10/13/21

Wrestling fans will be treated to a unique doubleheader in one of the premier wrestling events of the year on February 12, 2022. Details of Bout at the Ballpark which will include dual matches between Oklahoma State University and the University of Iowa and senior national teams from the United States and Iran were announced today by REV Entertainment, which will host and operate the event. -FloWrestling 10/13/21

Iranian sport officials have contradicted each other on why spectators were banned during a crucial match in Tehran. When the football federation announced two days before the Iran, South Korea football match that spectators would not be allowed in, it prompted a social media response from people who said the move may have been aimed at preventing women from entering the stadium. -Al Jazeera 10/13/21

Yekta Jamali of Iran made history in the 2021 Youth World Weightlifting Championships by winning a silver medal in the -81kg weight category in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It's Iran's first silver medal in the women's weightlifting in history. -Tehran Times 10/12/21

When the Norwegian handball players fight for gold at the World Cup in Spain in December, they have to face an unprecedented opponent. In the second game they meet a completely covered Iranian national team. And the Norwegian handball girls know very little about their future opponent. 10/12/21

Mohammadreza Geraei won Iran's fourth gold medal in the 2021 World Wrestling Championships on Sunday. The Greco-Roman wrestler defeated Nazir Abdullaev from Russian Wrestling Federation 5-2 in the final bout of 67kg. -Tehran Times 10/11/21

United Arab Emirates boss Bert van Marwijk urged his players to keep fighting after they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Iran in their latest AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar clash on Thursday. While solitary Mehdi Taremi goal in the 70th minute took Team Melli a step closer to a return to the FIFA World Cup, UAE now find themselves seven points behind the group leaders and five adrift of second placed Korea Republic after three of 10 matches. -AFC 10/8/21

With quiet and unflinching concentration, she sways the heavy iron bow from side to side. The rhythmic and unyielding movement of her arms is controlled yet powerful. Magnetic, even. The bow's dangling coins unleash a euphoric symphony of chiming sounds just to keep up with her. Rayeheh Mozafariyan is an athlete and activist who practices Pahlevani and Zoorkhaneh, a 2000-year-old Iranian sport originally practised by warriors. -VICE 10/5/21

Kamran Ghasempour won Iran's third gold medal in the 2021 World Wrestling Championships. He defeated Russian wrestler Magomed Kurbanov 8-4 in the final bout of 92kg. Bronze medal went to Azerbaijan's Osman Nurmagomedov and J'den Cox from the U.S. -Tehran Times 10/5/21

Iran is breaking new ground by sending more women than men to the championships, eight compared to six. Iran's Islamic rulers did not allow women to compete in the sport until 2018 but the National Federation's female development programme has already had a notable success. -Inside The Games 10/5/21

There would be no last-minute comeback this time. Hassan YAZDANI (IRI), so unbeatable against everyone else, could finally walk off the mat a winner over rival David TAYLOR (USA) for the first time in four career clashes. The vocal contingent of Iranian fans were also sent into a frenzy when rising star Amir ZARE claimed the 125kg title, having earlier seen Iran gain finalists in all four weight classes that got underway Sunday, including Yazdani's cousin Amir YAZDANI. -United World Wrestling 10/4/21

Even though Iran has had no shortage of successful footballing exports, Feyenoord's Alireza Jahanbakhsh is venturing where none of his compatriots have gone. Or anyone from his continent for that matter. It was never going to be easy to surpass Iranian icons like Ali Daei -- who was the leading scorer in men's international football until recently being surpassed by a certain Cristiano Ronaldo -- or Mehdi Mahdavikia, who made 253 appearances in the German Bundesliga and was named in Hamburg's Team of the Century in 2012. -Gabriel Tan, ESPN 10/1/21

Iran topped the chart in Pool G after winning over Thailand on the last day of second-round play. In a battle for the first place in the, the Asian team proved better in straight sets. Earlier on Wednesday, Egypt recorded their first victory at the U21 World Championship, a four-set win over Morocco. Both Egypt and Morocco will play in the playoffs for 12th place. -Volleyball World 9/30/21

Iran, 2019 U21 champions, recorded their second victory (3-0 against Morocco) in the second round of FIVB Volleyball U21 Men's World Championship 2021, and will battle in the playoffs for the ninth pace. The Iranians are currently top of the chart in Pool G, Thailand, who disappointed Egypt on Tuesday again, this time around winning by 3-1, will join Iran in progressing in the competition. -Volleyball World 9/29/21

Iran's FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 campaign came to an end following a 3-2 defeat to Kazakhstan in their quarter-final on Monday. Kazakhstan fought back from two goals down to advance to the semi-finals as Iran's bid to better their third-placed finish of five years ago was halted at the Kaunas Arena. -AFC 9/28/21

At the start of the second round of the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Men's U21 World Championship, Thailand recorded their second victory at the competition, this time against Morocco. In the other Pool G fixture of the day, Iran outclassed the team of Egypt, grabbing the three points. -Volleyball World 9/28/21

Iran lost to Kazakhstan 38-33 in the 2021 Asian Women's Handball Championship third-place match on Saturday. The Iranian team have already booked their place at the 2021 World Women's Handball Championship in Spain as one of the top six Asian teams. -Tehran Times 9/27/21

Defending champions Iran didn't make it among the best eight teams of the 2021 FIVB Men's U21 World Championship, as on Friday they lost another five-setter, this time around against Argentina. The South Americans join Belgium into the the upper half of the tournament bracket for the next phase of the competition. -Volleyball World 9/25/21

Argentina and Belgium started their FIVB Volleyball U21 Men's World Championship Pool C journey on a positive note, beating the teams of Morocco and Iran, respectively. While the Argentinians' win came after a clear domination by the South Americans, Belgium and Iran delivered a great show at the Pallazetto dello sport in Carbonia. 9/24/21

Iran lost to powerhouse South Korea 46-21 on Thursday and failed to qualify for the final match of the 2021 Asian Women's Handball Championship. Iran will play Kazakhstan, who lost to Japan 38-24 in the same round, in the bronze medal match on Saturday. -Tehran Times 9/24/21

Nashmin Shafeian, coach of Iran women's handball team, hopes that their qualification to the world championship will motivate the young girls interested in handball to follow their dreams with eagerness. Iranian women made history in the 2021 Asian Women's Handball Championship by advancing to the semifinals of the 2021 Asian Women's Handball Championship underway in Jordan. -Farrokh Hesabi, Tehran Times 9/23/21

Elnaz Rekabi from Iran became the first woman in the country to win a medal at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Championships. Rekabi won the bronze medal at the Women's Combined. Austrian climber Jessica Pilz won the gold medal and the silver medal went to Slovenian Mia Krampl. 9/22/21

Iran are one victory away from qualifying for their first ever AFC Women's Asian Cup, after defeating Bangladesh 5-0 at Bunyodkor Stadium on Wednesday. The win brought Maryam Irandoost's side level with Jordan at the top of Group G, with the winners of Saturday's clash between the two sides to decide who advances to January's Finals in India. -AFC 9/22/21

Iran finished second in Group F of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021 after a narrow 2-1 defeat to defending champions Argentina on Monday. The 12-time Asian champions, who finished third in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, will face regional rivals Uzbekistan in the Round of 16. -AFC 9/21/21

Iran defeated Japan 3-0 (27-25, 25-22, 31-29) on Sunday to win the 21st Asian Senior Men's Volleyball Championship. After the poor performance in the 2020 Olympic Games, Iran participated in the Asian championship with the young players. 9/20/21

Iran started the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup with a hard-fought win against Serbia in Group F on Tuesday. Reza Naseri, Iranian former futsal player and current coach, commented on the performance of the Iran national futsal team in their first game in Lithuania. Iran defeated Serbia in Group F 3-2 Tuesday night. 9/16/21

Dushanbe: Persepolis FC head coach Yahya Golmohammadi praised his players after they defied a near-full Central Republican Stadium to defeat Tajik champions Istiklol in the 2021 AFC Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday. With more than 17,000 fans desperate to see the hosts continue their fairy tale run in their debut campaign, Persepolis held their nerve to navigate a tricky period before half-time, before Mahdi Torabi's last-minute winner sent them to the last eight. -AFC 9/15/21

Al Hilal SFC became the first team to advance to the last eight of the 2021 AFC Champions League, scoring either side of half-time to defeat Esteghlal FC 2-0 in Monday's Round of 16 clash. -AFC 9/14/21

The 16 remaining sides in the 2021 AFC Champions League will battle it out for a place in quarter-finals in the coming days with eight matches scheduled between Monday and Wednesday as the competition enters its one-legged knockout round format. -AFC 9/13/21

The AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar continued on Tuesday with six matches across the two groups to conclude the first window of games and there was plenty of action to dissect. Iran go into the next window in October as Group A leaders, two points ahead of Korea Republic, while it is neck and neck in Group B with both Australia and Saudi Arabia getting off to a perfect start to lead with six points each. -AFC 9/9/21

Islamic Republic of Iran recorded a comfortable 3-0 win against Iraq on Matchday Two of the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to Qatar Group A to keep up their 100 percent record on Tuesday. Having won their opening fixture, IR Iran looked to consolidate their position at the top of Group A going into the next international break at Iraq's expense, something they fully achieved in both the result and performance. -AFC 9/8/21

Iran delegation came 13th in the 2020 Paralympic Games with a total of 12 gold medals. The Iranian para athletes won historic 12 gold medals as well as 11 silvers and one bronze. Iran sent 62 athletes to Tokyo in 10 sports. -Tehran Times 9/7/21

Olympic medalist Hassan Yazdani will be part of Iran's freestyle squad for the Wrestling World Championships. The silver medalist will be competing in the 86 kg weight category and will eye revenge against Olympic champion David Taylor of the USA. The glorious rivalry will get a new chapter written in Oslo, Norway when the two take to the mat. -Sportskeeda 9/7/21

Zenit St Petersburg received a number of offers for their star striker Sardar Azmoun over the summer, including from Tottenham, but the prolific forward has confirmed that they were all rejected and he will see out his contract in Russia. The Iran international is wanted by clubs across Europe after a fine run of goal-scoring form over the last three years. -Metro, UK 9/7/21

Having taken Iranian futsal to new heights at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016, Mohammad Nazemosharia is determined to kick on. The architect of Team Melli's third-place finish five years ago - the best ever by an Asian side - he is planning another stellar showing at Lithuania 2021. -FIFA 9/6/21

Jahanbakhsh broke the deadlock with a deflected strike in the 56th minute, with three points in Group A Team Melli's reward for breaking down Nizar Mahrous' side on a night where clear-cut chances were few and far between. The Iranians will have the chance to make it two wins from two when they face Iraq in Doha on Tuesday, while Syria will have the opportunity to bounce back against the United Arab Emirates in Amman. -AFC 9/3/21

Iran's Zahra Nemati won her third individual recurve gold medal at her third consecutive Games, with a 6-5 victory over Italian Vincenza Petrilli at the Yumenoshima Final Field at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics here. She became the third Iranian woman to win gold at Tokyo 2020, breaking the record for female Iranian gold medallists at a Paralympics. -Inside the Games 9/2/21

It was a day that Iranian Para athlete Hashemiyeh Motaghian Moavi had been dreaming about for years. The 35-year-old set an example for women in the country by clinching gold in the javelin F56 at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with a World record throw of 24.50m. -Paralympic.org 9/1/21

There are nearly 8 billion people in the world. The second tallest of them all is an Iranian man in Tokyo spending most of his time sitting on a Paralympic volleyball court. Meet Morteza Mehrzad, whose sitting volleyball team will play in their semi-final against Bosnia Herzegovina on Thursday. -Tom Decent, SMH 9/1/21

Javelin thrower Saeid Afrooz gave Iran a gold medal on Day 8 of the 2020 Paralympic Games. The Iranian won the gold in the men's javelin F-34 with a throw of 40.05 meters. Afrooz's gold was Iran's eighth gold medal in the Games. -Tehran Times 9/1/21

The P2 women's event was a straightforward affair for Iran's Sareh Javanmardi as she backed up her gold from Rio 2016. Javanmardi took an early lead, and never looked back. "I dedicated everything to hard training, and 95 per cent of the time I dedicated to sport," the Iranian said of giving up family time to focus on shooting. -Paralympic.org 8/31/21

Iran's World Championships bronze medallist Vahid Nouri won Iran's first Paralympic judo gold in the men's up to 90kg. Nouri just caught Great Britain's Elliot Stewart with a neat sweep of his foot for ippon in the final. -Judo Inside 8/30/21

Rouhollah Rostami picked up Iran's first Paralympic gold at the Tokyo Games, blowing away the competition in the men's -80kg Powerlifting competition. Having set a new world record in May, the 32-year-old was the clear favourite, and didn't fail to impress finishing the meet with his biggest lift 19kg heavier than Xiaofei Gu of China who took silver, and 22kg ahead of Mohamed Elefat of Egypt, who claimed bronze. -The National 8/29/21

Powerlifter Amir Jafari Arangeh claimed a silver medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games on Friday. He lifted 195kg in the men's -65kg at the Tokyo International Forum. 8/27/21

Over the coming days, the-AFC.com will break down each of the 12 nations still standing, their key men and what it all means in the context of history as they vie for a ticket to the greatest show on earth. A true powerhouse of the Asian game, Iran are targeting a third successive FIFA World Cup appearance and their exceptional strike force makes them one of the favourites to qualify. -AFC 8/25/21

World class wrestling champion, Seyed Mostafa Salehizadeh came to Montreal in 2019 to train at TriStar gym... Alone in Canada, faced with the Covid-19 crisis shortly after his arrival, he was informally adopted by his manager, Robbie Stein's mother, Sandra Laxer-Stein as the two refer to each other as mother and son. -The Suburban 8/20/21